Maximilian Bröcher
PhD student in the Population Ecology Group with a focus on trophic interactions along a grassland biodiversity gradient.
I studied Ecology with focus on biodiversity research and with a particular interest in arthropods and how they contribute to ecosystem functioning. Arthropod consumers are important drivers of plant community assembly, plant diversity and providers of ecosystem functions. Furthermore, consumer-related functions as predation or herbivory transfer matter and energy from primary producers to higher trophic levels. Thus, using a food-web perspective I explore mechanisms of how arthropod consumers are affected by changes in plant communities and vice versa. In previous projects I investigated consumer-related functions in artificial flower strips. Currently, I use the framework of the Jena Experiment to conduct my research.